Chapter 6
Standing in the room across from his wife, Anakin, cannot help but continue worrying for her health, even with Master Yoda's reassuring words that she would be fine, he just couldn't get the nightmare of her death out of his head.
"Anakin, are you sure you want to do this? I can wait for another time if you still feel uncomfortable."
"N...no, Obi Wan, I need to get this off my chest. I should have told you about it after Geonosis, but then the war broke out and things have been difficult since."
"It's okay, Anakin, I understand."
"No you don't!"
"Anakin."
"No you need to listen, Obi Wan, I...I..."
"Whatever it is, Anakin, you know I will never think any less of you."
Looking to the floor in shame, Anakin, can only hope that when he tells his friend what he did, that nothing will change between them.
"I...I killed them master."
"Wh...wha...Anakin, what are you talking about?"
"I...I should start at the beginning."
"Yes, Yes you should."
Crying from the emotional distress that reliving his failure is going to bring, Anakin, begins his heart shattering tale of sorrow.
"It was the last night we spent on Naboo, Padme, and I had been enjoying ourselves for the past couple of days, trying to ease the tension of not only seeing each other for the first time in ten years, but also the worry of repeated assassination attempts made on her life. That night as I was sleeping, I had another vision of my mother and she looked far worse than she had been in my previous dreams. Padme, heard me tossing and turning from across the hall and decided she would wake me to find out what was wrong..."
(I'm not going to bore you with a flashback of Episode II that we have all seen before, so if you were looking forward to it, "Sorry but that ain't gonna happen!" that was a quote from Knights of the Old Republic by the way.)
"...If it wasn't for, Padme, I don't know what would've happened to me that night, Obi Wan, It will forever remain the worst moment of my life."
"Anakin, I...I'm sorry my friend."
Looking up in surprise, Anakin is confused by, Obi Wan's response. Placing his hand in a comforting grip on his friend's shoulder, Obi Wan, explains what he means.
"I was not a very good master to you my brother, I had thought that I could teach you as well as, Qui-Gon, but I failed you and him."
"What! Master why would you even think such a thing? You were the perfect teacher for me!"
"No I wasn't, Anakin, I should have realized that your dreams were truly visions, you have always been exceptionally strong with the Force, Qui-Gon would have known and he would have let you go to Tatooine to see your mother and make sure she was alright."
"Obi Wan, it wasn't your fault!"
Sighing from exhaustion after listening to Anakin's tale, Obi Wan replies. "Thank you my friend. It feels like ages ago that we had a conversation such as this, we should do it more often."
Smiling for the first time in hours, Anakin, cannot help but miss his time as a padawan under, Obi Wan.
"Yea, remember the time I hid master Yoda's walking stick, it was my first year at the Temple."
"Oh yes quite well mind you, if I recall correctly he was extremely unhappy about loosing it."
"I think I still have the bruises on my shins from when you made me return it to him."
Flashback
"Hmm, Think funny it is to steal from others do you?"
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Minuets Later
Obi Wan and Anakin's Room
Placing bacta patches over Anakin's bruises, Obi Wan, is quite amused by his students plight.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! master that hurts, be more gentle please."
"Well I'm sorry my young padawan, perhaps this will teach you why Jedi do not steal."
"But what about the time when y-ow!"
"I have never stolen anything in my life."
"But mast-ouch! Okay, okay I get it you've never stolen anything in your life."
"Well, Anakin, I think that is the last of them. Now remember this as a lesson young one, age dose not make one docile."
Scoffing as only he could, Anakin, does not have a clue what his master is talking about.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"One day you will understand, Anakin, just as one day you will bring balance to the Force."
Flashback END
"he! good times, good times indeed."
"Yes, I suppose looking back on happier days will become a common occurrence for those of us who remain alive."
For the umpteenth time that day, Anakin, is surprised by something told to him.
"Are you saying what I think you are?"
"Yes, Anakin. Plo Koon, and Aayla Secura are with us, we picked them up on our way here, both are fine just a little shaken that the clones turned on us."
"Th...That's incredible news."
Hearing a knock on the door, both friends look to see who it is and what they need.
"Who is it?" Say's Obi Wan.
A reply comes in the form of senator Bail Organa walking in with a smile on his face.
"Padme's awake and she seems to be fine, although she keeps bugging the doctor asking where you are."
Upon receiving this information, Anakin, rushes out the door with Obi Wan on his tail.
Meanwhile with Ahsoka and Yoda
"Hmm, sit we should, much to discuss I feel there is."
Doing as was asked of her, Ahsoka, feels worried about this conversation knowing deep down that although master Yoda is a wise Jedi whom she respects, she would much rather talk to her own master about her troubles.
"Sense despair in your soul I do."
For, Ahsoka, it felt like an eternity trying to out wait Yoda, But age such as his comes with the beautiful notion of patience, that word which youths seems to think is a myth. And so realizing that nothing will stop it from happening, Ahsoka, starts her tale of betrayal.
"I...I woke up this morning expecting a normal day, but when three initiates disappeared i volunteered to look for them, I wasn't expecting my master to tell me that I needed to go into hiding at Dex's Diner, he didn't tell me why but I did it anyway."
Nodding at her mature choice, Yoda, says nothing and continues to listen.
"Not even ten minuets later, R2-D2 and C3PO, came rushing into the diner and showed me the message for, Anakin."
"Hmm, surprised you were not when heard of his marriage? Tell you did he?"
"N..no master, he didn't tell me, I figured it out on my own."
Nodding, Yoda, says. "Strong the bond between master and apprentice, strongest during training it is, surprised am I that secrets are harder to keep during this time of strife, no I am not. Continue you should more I sense to your story there is."
"Well I...I tried to stay there but I kept feeling like if we waited any longer than, Ba...Barriss, would kill Padme."
"Hmm, more there is to your want to face, Barriss. Wanted answers you did, for why she betrayed you again"
Wide eyed in surprise, Ahsoka, answers. "I...no I...maybe...I don't know."
"Hmm, Look deep within you must, to see the truth. Betrayal a nasty thing it is, know this personally I do."
"W..what, you've been betrayed before?"
"Yes, feel the sting I did when my former apprentice became a Sith."
Confused, Ahsoka, asks. "But master, how is that anything like my situation?"
"Friends you were with, Barriss?"
"Yes."
"Friends was I with, Dooku."
"But he was your student."
"Make a difference dose this?"
"N...No I guess not, but you were so much closer than, Barriss and I."
Saying nothing, but nodding his head in return, Yoda, waits for her to find the answer to her own question.
"I...I'm sorry master, You've had to deal with this feeling throughout the whole war and here I am crying over something that only recently happened. Ha! Some Jedi I'm turning out to be."
Slamming his walking stick to the floor, Yoda, strongly replies. "A fine Jedi you are! Stick to the light you have, when turned our backs on you the council did, disappointed in my self I am, for allowing you to be thrown to the wolves with no evidence. Believed in you we should have, betrayed your trust we did, but stayed with the Order you have."
"I...I couldn't just leave, my master needed me I could feel it. At first when you offered me to become a padawan once more I was hesitant, but then I felt something when I looked into Anakin's eyes, the Force told me I should stay. After all that's happened I think the Force just wanted me to suffer."
"Hmm, suffer we all do, but save your master you did."
"What do you mean?"
"Fall into darkness, Skywalker, could have, but help him stay strong in the light you have."
"But, Padme, is the reason he is still with us."
"Hmm, underestimate the bond you share, like a sister to him you are, protect you at all cost he will."
Putting a small smile on her face, Ahsoka, is realizing that what master Yoda says is true, Anakin, is an important part of her life, a big brother who has taught her so much and has been keeping her safe throughout the war. She is happy that staying as his padawan may have helped him cope with all the pressure he has been feeling, allowing him to see through, Sidious, manipulations and stay on the Light Side of the Force.
"Your right, he's like a brother to me and I'm happy that I made the decision to stay."
Nodding at her acceptance of how close the bond she shares with Anakin is, Yoda gets back to the matter at hand. "Hmm, unpleasant it may be but continue your story we must."
"R...right my st..story. Well I left R2 in charge and got myself a ship."
"Hmm, steal it did you?"
Looking down in shame, Ahsoka, nods and continues.
"Yes master, I went to the shipyard and borrowed it from a smuggler who was held up with security."
"Hmm, smuggler you say, forgive you the Force will, for borrowing his ship."
Smiling at his joke, Ahsoka, begins again.
"While I was on my way to Mustafar, all I could think about was what, Barriss, did months ago."
"Hmm, revenge you wanted?"
"I...I...yes, I think deep down I wanted her to pay for what she put me through. When I landed, she was standing there and for the first couple of seconds all I could feel was anger, but then I remembered why I was there...(Ahsoka is recounting the battle to Yoda)...So I turned my back on her and walked away."
"Hmmm, the right thing you did."
With tears in her eyes, Ahsoka responds. "That's all you can say! I'm a monster for leaving her there to burn alive and all you can tell me is, I did the right thing!"
Crying harder than she thought possible, Ahsoka, falls to her knees on the cold lonely floor and becomes a pit of despair.
"Cry you do for loosing your friend, fall into darkness you will if continue to mourn her you do, make her own choices she did, feel sad I do for the loss but never forget we must, there is no death there is the Force."
Sniffling in an attempt to stop her tears, Ahsoka, replies. "But master, I...I killed her, she was once my friend and I left her to die burning next to a river of flames."
"Hmm, with the Force now she is, no longer shrouded in darkness is she." (At the moment they do not know that Sidious was able to rescue Barriss.)
Wiping away her tears, Ahsoka, sees master Yoda's reasoning and smiles knowing that he is right, Barriss, is no longer controlled by the Sith.
"See the truth in my words do you?"
"Yes master and thank you, I really needed to do this."
Smiling, Yoda, replies. "Hmm, when trained as many Jedi as I have, learn to listen to their problem you will."
"Ya right master, I don't think I could ever train a padawan."
"The same thing did Skywalker say, but train you he did and a great Knight you have turned into."
"Well I don't kno...wait what did you say?"